Scheduling Sacraments

To Schedule Meetings and Sacraments

To schedule any of these sacraments and rites, contact us and speak with the secretary or priest concerning what you would like, the dates you wish, and how we may contact you. Normally, once you are on the schedule, it is necessary to meet with the priest to discuss the nature of the service and any special concerns, questions or needs you may have.

For letters Certifying Baptism or Marriage
Call or email the church, indicating the date of your baptism or wedding. Please provide the address to which the letter of certification can be sent. Contact us no later than four weeks before the date the letter is needed.

WEDDINGS

For the union of a man and woman to be recognized as sacramentally valid by the Orthodox Church, the following conditions must be met:

  1. The Sacrament of Matrimony must be celebrated by an Orthodox Priest of a canonical Orthodox jurisdiction, according to the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church, in a canonical Orthodox Church, and with the authorization of the Archbishop or Metropolitan.
  2. Before the priest requests permission from the Archbishop or his Metropolitan to perform the marriage, he must verify that: 
    • Neither of the parties in question is already married to another person, either in this country or elsewhere;
    • The parties in question are not related to each other to a degree that would constitute an impediment; 
    • If either or both parties are widowed, they have presented the death certificate(s) of the deceased spouse(s);
    • If either or both of the parties have been previously married in the Orthodox Church, they have obtained ecclesiastical as well as civil divorce(s); 
    • The party or parties who are members of a parish other than the one in which the marriage is to be performed have provided a certificate declaring them to be members in good standing with that parish for the current year; and 
        • A civil marriage license has been obtained from civil authorities.
        • No person may marry more than three times in the Church, with permission for a third marriage granted only with extreme oikonomia.
        • In cases involving the marriage of Orthodox and non-Orthodox Christians, the latter must have been baptized, in water, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Church cannot bless the marriage of an Orthodox Christian to a non-Christian.
        • The Sponsor (koumbaros or koumbara) must provide a current certificate of membership proving him or her to be an Orthodox Christian in good standing with the Church. A person who…

* Does not belong to a parish, 
* Belongs to a parish under the jurisdiction of a bishop who is not in communion with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese,
* If married, has not had his or her marriage blessed by the Orthodox Church,
* If divorced, has not received an ecclesiastical divorce,
…cannot be a sponsor. Non-Orthodox persons may be members of the wedding party, but may not exchange the rings or crowns.

Days when Marriage is not permitted
Marriages are not performed on fast days or during fasting seasons; or on the feasts of the Church, specifically: September 14 (Exaltation of the Holy Cross), December 13-25 (Nativity), January 5 and 6 (Theophany), Great Lent and Holy Week, Pascha (Easter), Pentecost, August 1-15 (Dormition Fast and Feast), and August 29 (Beheading of St. John the Baptist). Exceptions can only be made with the permission of the respective hierarch.

Inter-Christian Marriages
It is a fact that, the more a couple has in common, the more likely they are to live together in peace and concord. Shared faith and traditions spare couples and their children, as well as their extended families, many serious problems, and help to strengthen the bonds between them. Even so, the Orthodox Church will bless marriages between Orthodox and non-Orthodox partners, provided that: 

    • The non-Orthodox partner is a Christian who has been baptized, in water, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and
    • The couple is willing to baptize their children in the Orthodox Church and raise and nurture them in accordance with the Orthodox Faith.
    • A baptized Orthodox Christian whose wedding has not been blessed by the Orthodox Church is no longer in good standing with the Church and may not receive the Sacraments of the Church, including Holy Communion, or become a Sponsor of an Orthodox Marriage, Baptism or Chrismation.
    • A non-Orthodox Christian who marries an Orthodox Christian does not thereby become a member of the Orthodox Church, and may not receive communion, or be buried by the Church, serve on the Parish Council, or vote in parish assemblies or elections. To participate in the Church’s life, one must be received into the Church by the Sacrament of Baptism or, in the case of persons baptized with water in the Holy Trinity, following a period of instruction, by Chrismation.

Inter-religious Marriages
Canonical and theological reasons preclude the Orthodox Church from performing the Sacrament of Marriage for couples where one partner is Orthodox and the other partner is a non-Christian. As such, Orthodox Christians choosing to enter such marriages fall out of good standing with their Church and are unable to actively participate in the life of the Church. While this stance may seem confusing and rigid, it is guided by the Orthodox Church’s love and concern for its members’ religious and spiritual well-being.

Prohibited Marriages
The following types of relationships constitute impediments to marriage:
Parents with their own children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren, or godchildren of the same godparents.

  • Brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.
  • Uncles and aunts with nieces and nephews. 
  • First cousins with each other.
  • Foster parents with foster children or foster children with the children of foster parents.
  • Godparents with godchildren or godparents with the parents of their godchildren.


DIVORCE
The parish priest must exert every effort to reconcile the couple and avert a divorce. However, should he fail to bring about reconciliation, after a civil divorce has been obtained, he will transmit the petition of the party seeking the ecclesiastical divorce, together with the decree of the civil divorce, to the Spiritual Court of the Archdiocesan District or Metropolis. The petition must include the names and surnames of the husband and wife, the wife’s surname prior to marriage, their addresses, the name of the priest who performed the wedding, and the date and place of the wedding. The petitioner must be a member of the parish through which he or she is petitioning for divorce. 
Orthodox Christians of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, who have obtained a civil divorce but not an ecclesiastical divorce, may not participate in any sacraments of the Church or serve on the Parish Council, Archdiocesan District Council, Metropolis Council or Archdiocesan Council, until they have been granted a divorce by the Church.


BAPTISMS

A person who wishes to sponsor a candidate for Baptism or Chrismation in the Church must be an Orthodox Christian in good standing and a supporting member of a canonical Orthodox parish. A person may not serve as a godparent if the Church has not blessed his or her marriage or, if civilly divorced, he or she has not been granted an ecclesiastical divorce, or for any other reason he or she is not in communion with the Orthodox Church.
Baptisms may not be performed from Christmas Day through the Feast of Theophany (December 25-January 6), during Holy Week, or on any of the Great Feast days of the Lord.

General Guidelines For Baptisms
If you are not currently a member in good standing of an Orthodox parish, and are seeking to have your child baptized, please be aware that Holy Spirit Greek Orthodox Church requires a one-time payment of $200, which may be offered either as a stewardship pledge to this parish, or paid as a one-time only Church usage fee. This fee can be waived in the event of financial difficulties. Please feel free to discuss this matter with our priest. In addition, on the day of the baptism, an additional payment of $50 should be made to the Church sexton (neochoros) for set-up and clean-up.

Items Needed for a Baptism

  1. White clothing for infant
  2. Baptismal cross of gold or silver, with chain large enough to fit over the child's head
  3. White bed sheet, single-bed size
  4. Large white bath towel
  5. Small white hand towel
  6. Bar of soap
  7. Small bottle of olive oil
  8. Baptismal candle


FUNERALS
Funeral services are permitted on any day of the year, except for Sundays and Holy Friday, unless permission is granted by the Archbishop or Metropolitan.